He said: "Though cloaked in a diatribe of anti-British rhetoric, the ignorance at the heart of this proposal is equally shocking.

"The UK is not leaving the Council of Europe, to which the European Convention on Human Rights belongs, but is leaving the EU. Thus, Brexit has no bearing on our obligations under the ECHR, but clearly Cork County Council had no interest in letting such a reality get in the way of a good British-bashing session.

"There is no reason why there shouldn't be a future extradition treaty with the Republic of Ireland post-Brexit. Sadly, in the past the Republic shamelessly dragged its feet on such matters to the evident advantage of those engaged in cross-Border murders."

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said: "Those who brought this motion forward are using Brexit as a convenient excuse for anti-British sentiment.

"There are 19 existing non-EU states which belong to the Council of Europe, the parent body of the ECHR. Adherence to the ECHR does not relate to membership of the European Union. I am surprised that Cllr McCarthy and his colleagues are ignorant of this fact.

"The Republic of Ireland has a shameful history when it comes to the extradition of suspects during the Troubles.

"From 1973 until 1997 the UK sought the extradition of 110 suspects from the Republic, but only eight were extradited," he said.

Mr Donaldson added that it was important to uphold human life and it should be remembered that terrorists "regularly breach the most fundamental human right of all - the right to life".